The North Park University Library (NPU Library) is composed of archives and special collections, the seminary collection, and the general collection. The library serves all faculty, staff, and students at NPU. The seminary collection, and the archives and special collections have separate collection development policies.

I. Mission Statement of North Park University (NPU)

The mission of North Park University is to prepare students for lives of significance and service through liberal arts, professional, and theological education.

As an integral part of NPU, the library fully shares in the responsibility to achieve the mission. The library has a specific obligation to provide library facilities, materials, and services in support of NPU’s goals.

The primary patrons of the library are the faculty, students, and staff of NPU. Accordingly, the library will commit nearly all of its resources in support of NPU and it’s curricular mission.

The purpose of this Collection Development Policy, is to outline the ways in which the library seeks to fulfill its collection responsibilities to NPU. Included in this policy statement are sections in the following areas: (1) criteria and methods for selection of materials; (2) specific subject areas collected along with both their current and intended levels; (3) policy on weeding; (4) interlibrary loan and cooperation; (5) commitment to intellectual freedom and confidentiality; and (6) the procedure for periodic review of this document.

A. Objectives

Materials are selected for the library collection to implement, enrich, and support the educational program of NPU. Materials must serve the breadth of the curriculum, course related research needs, and general interests of the NPU community. Therefore, we are obliged to provide for representation of a wide range of many differing points of view in the collection.

1. To support curriculum

a. to provide direct support of classes taught

b. to support individual course related research

c. to provide a representation overview of subjects in the curriculum

d. to provide necessary ancillary materials

2. To provide support for faculty research primarily by providing access to information beyond NPU.

B. Responsibility for selection

although final accountability and coordination of all library collection activities rests with the director of the library, all NPU librarians share in selecting materials. The selection process involves the NPU faculty who are encouraged to be actively involved in the process. Also, students may make recommendations to any librarian or through the suggestion box. in order for the librarians to select materials appropriately, knowledge of the fields of knowledge, curriculum, course content, and planning assignments is necessary, as well as advanced knowledge of curriculum changes.

C. Selection Procedures

1. Recommendations for the purchase of materials will be solicited from the faculty by such means as the routing of choice cards.

2. Materials will be selected cognizant of and in cooperation with the collection development policy of the library and other cooperative agreements that may exist.

3. Selection sources will be systematically reviewed by the librarians.(see Section E "Selection sources" below)

D. Selection Criteria

The following criteria serve as a guide in the selection process:

1. Contribution that the subject matter makes in supporting the curricular mission of NPU.

2. Potential usefulness to the intended audiences.

3. Relation to the existing collection, e.g., continue a collection of historic strength or fill in an historic gap in the collection.

4. Scarcity of other materials on the subject.

5. Appearance of the item in important bibliographies, indexes, or reference tools.

6. Availability of materials elsewhere in the Chicago area.

7. Favorable reviews by scholars in the field.

8. Favorable recommendations by a NPU faculty member.

9. Reputation and significance of the author, producer, or publisher.

10. Contribution the material makes to the breadth of representative viewpoints on controversial issues.

11. Value commensurate with cost and/or need.

12. Current and/or permanent value.

13. Anticipated frequency of use.

E. Selection Sources

In selecting materials, according to the criteria listed above, the following shall be consulted, but selection is not limited to these sources:

1. Publisher’s catalogues

2. Choice

3. Subject bibliographies

4. Reviews in major journals

5. Indexing and abstracting tools

6. "Best of" lists

7. Recommendations by professional and/or accreditation associations

F. Priorities in collection development

We will collect bibliographic tools that enhance access beyond the library. We will endeavor to maintain current collections in areas of historic strength. The collection will be a representative one, developed according to the following priorities ranked in descending order of importance.

Priority 1 Curriculum support

Our primary responsibility is to support the curriculum of NPU. Curriculum support can be defined narrowly or broadly. In the very narrow sense it is only materials used for classroom teaching, e.g., reserves. However, being aware of the diversity of student interests and the variety of research papers and projects assigned, curriculum support quickly expands. While we cannot supply materials on all topics, we do need to maintain a good collection which will provide the foundation for such research. This collection will include the following materials:

1. classics

2. biographical works about leaders in the various fields

3. selected current monographs on theory and practice

4. selected research studies

5. dissertations will be acquired selectively

7. periodical literature representing a diversity of approach and stance

8. reference materials including but not limited to bibliographies, abstracts, indexes, encyclopedias, dictionaries, directories, and annuals.

NPU Library strives to achieve a formula A collection in the Standards for College Libraries, 1995 Edition. The detail of this standard is available from the director of the library.

Priority 2—Evangelical Covenant Church and NPU.

We collect materials relating to the Evangelical Covenant Church and NPU including student theses.

Priority 3 – Supplementary/Ancillary Subject Areas

We will utilize the resources of other libraries for most ancillary materials. We will purchase these materials in the following instances.

1. When they are not conveniently available elsewhere.

2. When borrowing via interlibrary loan exceeds the legal limit according to copyright code.

G. Format Considerations

1. Non- Print materials

As stated in the criteria for selection, an item’s contribution to the goals and objectives of the library will be the primary factor for its selection or rejection. Accordingly, the format in which an item is issued, be it print or non-print, will be a secondary consideration.

2. Newsletters

Most newsletters will be kept for 6 months.

3. Paperbacks

Paperbacks will not be excluded strictly due to their format. If a title is available in both hardcover and paperback, the former will generally be ordered.

4. Periodicals

In addition to the general selection criteria listed earlier in this policy statement, the following are used in the selection of periodicals.

a. access available through indexes (lack of indexing does not exclude a title automatically)

b. all periodical titles will be evaluated prior to renewal

c. the acquisition of backfiles of new subscriptions will be determined on a title-by-title basis

d. the acquisition of missing current periodical issues will be a priority

5. Rare Books

Rare books will seldom be purchased. Gifts of rare books within the scope of this collection development policy will be retained.

6. Gifts

Gifts will be selected according to the same criteria as any other material. Gifts will only be accepted with no commitment on the part of the library as to their final disposition and with the understanding that not all gifts will be added to the collection. Book plates may be placed on gift items, however, no further records necessarily will be kept of a gift’s disposition. Because the library cannot appraise gifts for tax purposes, donors must assume the cost and responsibility for such procedures themselves.

Cash gifts for the purchase of materials are always welcome.

IV. Weeding

Weeding or deaccessioning will be done by librarians in consultation with the faculty, using the following criteria:

a. within the scope of this collection development policy

b. relevance to current curriculum in the broad sense

c. future value for research and historical purposes

d. duplication in the collection

e. inclusion in bibliographies

f. we will retain all items for which we are the last holder in the state of Illinois

V. Cooperative Agreements

We have a number of cooperative agreements with libraries and consortia which are essential to supplement our collection in a number of areas. The details of these agreements are available from the Director of the Library.

VI. Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary loan services are available to NPU faculty, staff, and students for materials not available from our collection.

Standard ALA rules for interlibrary loan will be followed.

Requests for materials from other libraries will be filed expeditiously within the guidelines in the Illinois Interlibrary Loan Code which reads, "lending libraries shall initiate processing of requests within one working day of receipt and shall complete the process within three working days from receipt."

VII. Intellectual Freedom

In the selection of materials, the library will subscribe to the principles set forth in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights (see Appendix A). Moreover, in support of the library’s role as a forum for the free exchange of all ideas, the library will be responsible for maintaining a representative collection of materials that offer a variety of viewpoints, including those that may be controversial.

Accordingly, an author’s work will be judged solely on its own merits and in no case will material be excluded because of the race, gender, age, sexual orientation, nationality, social, political, or religious views of the author. Similarly, the library will provide services to all of our patrons within the context of library goals and objectives regardless of race, nationality, age, gender, sexual orientation, occupation, financial position, or religious views.

The presence of an item in the library does not indicate any endorsement of its contents. Materials that are liable to theft or mutilation, or which are of great value, or which may be used very heavily, may be controlled somewhat by the library but no further than the extent required to protect them from injury or theft.

Once an item has been accepted as qualifying under the Collection Development Policy of the Library it will not be removed at the request of those who disagree with it unless it can be shown to be in violation of that policy. In handling such criticisms of materials the Director of the Library will reply in writing, referring to or citing the Collection Development Policy. If the complaint is not satisfied, the person may initiate a formal complaint in writing to the Library Director to be considered by a review committee.

The review committee, appointed by the Provost, shall include a librarian, Library Director, two faculty (preferably one of whom is an expert in the field in which the questioned material is located), the academic dean (again, appropriate to the subject area), and one student. The findings of the committee will be announced by the Provost in writing to the complainant and the rest of the committee. A further appeal may be made in writing by the complainant to the Provost whose decision is final.

VIII. Confidentiality

Please consult the Circulation Policies for NPU Library.

IX. Policy Review

In order to maintain a collection development policy that will be responsive to the changing needs and objectives of both NPU and the library, an annual review of this policy will be conducted.

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